A Minnesota man fought a surprise medical bill six-times higher than he expected, and saved thousands of dollars.

Experts call it an eye-opening example of how hospitals sometime charge different prices for the same procedure.

His experience may have you taking a second look at the medical bills you get.

Paul fights back

Leading up to his back surgery, Paul DeWolfe of Zimmerman, says he wanted to make sure his insurance would cover most of the cost. So, he says he showed his Humana insurance card to CentraCare’s St. Cloud Hospital.

“I said, ‘Am I in network? Am I going to be covered?’ And they said, ‘Yep, you look good. You're in our system, so shouldn't be any problem,’” DeWolfe told KARE 11.

Paul DeWolfe (Photo: KARE 11)

After insurance, DeWolfe thought his share would be about $3,000.

So, imagine his shock when a much larger bill from the hospital arrived.

“They said, ‘Paul, you've got to come up with $18,590. And we'd like to have that as soon as you could please,’” DeWolfe said. And that was just Paul’s share of the cost. The total bill was for $40,566.

“It would have been a very, very hard burden for me to swallow,” DeWolfe said.

We contacted St. Cloud hospital. They said they don’t believe they gave Paul the wrong insurance information.

In a written statement, CentraCare told us they “understand the frustration the patient felt” while they negotiated with the insurance company. In the end, the hospital says DeWolfe paid what it calls “a highly-discounted rate.”

This story is also a good reminder to check with your insurance company before any costly procedures, but be certain about your coverage.

This story started with a viewer tip. If you have something you’d like us to investigate, you can email us: Investigations@kare11.com.